The Running Free
by anyadoll
Summary: A twist on the upcoming episode. Riley and Gabriel are on the run, but how long can they last with the full power of the government and the media waiting for them to mess up at every turn...
1. I Give You All Of Me

**A/N: **OMG that episode! LOVED it! I saw the previews for the next episode but I'm gonna spin off and do my own version of their life on the lam bit; no assassination plot talk or anything like the preview advertises, just their life and their choices, and my assumption that his mom's a nurse (not sure if they ever mentioned what her job was). I should be done with this before Monday so it's pre canon. Also, just a side question…are we to assume Gabriel and Mei Chen did more than kiss in that render? That's what I feel like we've been lead to believe. Ew. The title comes from the same song by Coheed & Cambria. "The Crooked Kind" lyrics by Radical Face. I highly recommend this song, it's beautiful and eerie. (No copyright infringement, promise!)

**The Running Free**

XOX

_Some get dealt simple hands_

_Some walk the common paths_

_All nice and worn_

_But all folks are damaged goods_

_It ain't a talk of "if," just one of "when" and "how"_

_So, collect your scars and wear 'em well_

_You blood's a good an ink as any_

_Go scratch your name into the clouds_

_And pull 'em all down…_

XOX

"I know where we can go," Gabriel gasped, hand pressing into his bleeding side. Riley white knuckled the steering wheel, jaw set in a hard line.

"Where?" she breathed raggedly, half blinded by rage.

"His mother's house," Mei Chen answered in a bored voice. Riley wanted to strangle the indifferent Asian woman. Nothing seemed to affect her but Gabriel's opinion of her, and that irked Riley to no end. Mei Chen didn't care that the second bullet was meant for herself. Then again, she was no doubt used to being the center of an assassination plot by now.

"Is that true Gabriel?" Riley said, trying to rouse Gabriel as his eyes began falling closed. "Gabriel! Stay awake, stay with me!"

"Yes, yes, my mom…she's in the area…" he trailed. Riley pushed the gas pedal down. They were running out of time.

"Go straight for two miles, turn right," Mei Chen answered Riley's unspoken question. Riley glanced in the review mirror, catching Mei Chen's even glare. "I'm in his mind."

Riley turned back to the road. One day, very soon, she'd get her chance to smack the smile off the smug woman's face.

They made it to Mary Vaughn's residence unimpeded. They weren't circulating photos of them, for obvious reasons. But the shooting in the park would surely catch someone's attention.

"Help me get him out," Riley commanded. Mei Chen slammed the car door.

"This is where we part ways, Agent. I'd love to stay, but I like living too much to hang out with the two of you," Mei Chen said haughtily, turning her back on the pair.

"So much for the same side, Mei Chen," Riley called out, choosing Gabriel's life over cuffing the illusive woman. She wound his arm over her shoulders, trying to support his weight.

"Oh, we're still on the same side. I just prefer to take my chances on my own," she answered back. "Besides, if Gabriel needs me, he knows where to find me," Mei Chen smirked, taking off at a run.

Riley sighed heavily. She could add letting a murderer willingly go free to her growing list of felonies. "C'mon Gabriel, just a little farther," she said softly, half dragging him to the front porch. Riley pounded on the door unabashedly until a baffled older woman answered the door, an irritated expression lighting her face.

"What in the name of…Gabriel!" she shrieked, taking in her son's appearance.

"Mom, I need a favor," he rasped. She stood back, allowing them to cross the threshold. Riley immediately shoved the contents of the kitchen table to the floor, easing her partner onto its surface.

"What happened? What are you mixed up in?" his mother demanded, taking in the extent of the damage with a critical eye. Riley was a bit perplexed as the woman calmly analyzed the gunshot wound. "Get towels, from the bathroom," she said, looking warily towards Riley.

Riley hesitated, not wanting to leave him. Mrs. Vaughn shot her a piercing glare when she realized she wasn't moving, and Riley found her feet crossing the kitchen floor of their own volition.

She found the bathroom in the modest home quickly, pulling all the towels she could carry out of the linen closet. Riley stopped in the middle of the living room on the way back though, staring above the white brick fireplace. Gabriel wasn't kidding.

_My dad was a folded flag on the mantel. _

She looked away, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I've got the towels," she whispered. Her mother was a surgeon. She'd been lectured dozens of times on varying procedures. So Riley did what she could remember from her mother's lengthy speeches while Mary Vaughn went to work on her injured son.

XOX

Riley jumped when a hand landed on her shoulder. "Gabriel?" she questioned immediately, wide eyes searching for her partner.

"No dear, just me," his mother replied gently. "Thought you could use this."

Riley took the cup of tea gratefully. The kitchen was pitch dark; night had fallen, and they were still alive. "Thank you, Mrs. Vaughn."

"Mary," she said quietly, nodding to Gabriel's sleeping form on the table. "He'll be fine, but you won't if you try to keep yourself awake watching and worrying over him."

"It's my job," Riley said distantly. "My job to protect him."

"Oh, I've seen that look before, on his face, a thousand times. Saw it on his father's too. Look where that got him," Mary said, a hint of bitterness in her tone.

"He told me, I'm sorry," Riley added, the only thing she really could say to the woman who'd lost so much already.

"Thought he could change the world, save it, at least," Mary reminisced proudly.

"So that's where Gabriel gets his complex from then?" Riley chuckled. Mary nodded.

"Too stubborn for his own good, that one. You two seem to have that in common."

Riley smiled, sipping the cooling tea. Suddenly she frowned, looking back at the woman with a flushed face. "I'm…so sorry, I never told you who I was. I'm Riley Neal, I…work with Gabriel," she said quickly, trying to cover her hesitation.

"Don't worry dear," Mary began. "I'm smart enough to know not to ask questions."

"Thank you," she said again, exhaustion settling in as the adrenaline wore off from the day. _Days?_ "We won't be able to stay long, just until he's able to walk. It's not safe for us here."

"I know that too."

XOX

Gabriel tossed and turned as much as he could on a kitchen table.

His dreams were filled with Mei Chen in her blood red dress kissing him back in the equally blood red forest, before she curled into a snake, choking the life out of him for denying her what she really wanted. What he couldn't give her, even in a render.

Her mocking tone kept winding around him, suffocating him, as her serpentine body did.

_Can you ever share something like this with her?_

He'd nearly asked who 'she' was.

But he knew whom Mei Chen meant. The one person Mei Chen really felt threatened by.

Riley.

"She can't be what I can to you, what I am to you," the dream Mei Chen hissed in his ear, morphing back into the woman. "She can never know you like I do, so…intimately…"

"You don't know me," he countered. "You know facts, fantasies, but it takes time to really know someone."

"And she's known you so long now," Mei Chen said. But this time it wasn't the dream version he'd animated. "Miss me already Gabriel? Dreaming about me? I'm flattered…"

"What do you mean, '_miss you already_?'"

"Hm, haven't woken yet I suppose. Surprised you're still alive, really," she eyed his dream creation of her; a little bit severe, a little cold, a little malevolent. "Interesting, the way you see us. But are you forgetting? We were all thrown together on that very same day, Gabriel. As if by Fate. The difference is, she got to be by your side, while I got to be in your mind."

"What's your point?" he growled, surrounded by the suspended red petals and the real Mei Chen, taking on the appearance she had earlier, same blood red dress befitting the hidden temptress.

"Nature and Nurture, Gabriel. Think about it. Think about why you see me this way, as some kind of demon mistress incarnate, and her," Riley rendered before him, an extrapolation of Mei Chen's mind and not his own. Her dark hair perfectly curled, wearing a long white dress that pooled on the ground. "Like some untouchable angel."

He gave her a sideways look. "What are you playing at Mei Chen?"

Mei Chen's gaze was cool and curious. "Reaction." A gun formed in her hand and she moved, shooting Riley in the stomach, where the unknown assailant had shot him. He could feel the pain blossoming as both he and Riley dropped from the wounds in sync.

He screamed.

"Gabriel, Gabriel you have to listen! You have to stop fighting me!" Riley yelled, holding his shoulders back. His eyes flew open as he gasped for air, desperate to get up. The immediate white hot flash of pain at his violent movements left him dizzy and nauseous. "Gabriel?" she whispered softly.

His gaze began to focus as he forced the contents of his stomach to stay down. One hand remained on his shoulder while the other cupped his cheek, pushing back beads of sweat, or tears, he wasn't sure.

She did look like an angel to him, back lit by the sun pouring through the window, her hair a tangled mess and her face tired but hopeful. "I was worried," she said quietly.

"Worried? Hah, sure, if that's how you want to describe it," Mary laughed behind her, wringing out a washcloth and laying it on his forehead. "But how are you doing Sweetie?"

Gabriel blinked, confused. "Mom?"

"You asked me to bring you here," Riley said slowly. He tried to clear the cobwebs from his sluggish mind, nodding.

"No, you're right. How long have we been here?" he asked. Riley helped ease him into a sitting position.

"Two days. Longer than I wanted to be here, but you weren't waking up and I didn't have an alternative," she replied curtly. All business. "Do you think you can walk?"

"Don't know…maybe?" Something in her voice wasn't right. There was an underlying urgency hidden within. She was still trying to protect him. "Why? What happened?"

Riley looked away. Mary turned the TV on. "Our faces are everywhere. Our identities are public record. They know about you, Gabriel. I called Lillian by way of payphone yesterday; there are sleeper agents in Cyber Comm, in every department. That's who shot you."

His mother looked at him with a strange sympathy.

"Mom, I can explain…"

She held up a hand, silencing him. "She already did. I just wish…I just want the best for you." Mary Vaughn stepped forward, hugging her son for all he was worth. "But you need to go. I expect they'll be coming soon, either the government or these sleeper agents, as Riley says."

He smiled crookedly. "What, did you two bond while I was asleep?"

"Scared she showed me your naked baby photos?" Riley smirked teasingly.

"No. I was adorable," he lied.

"Maybe when you were sleeping," his mother added smartly.

"Thanks, mom. I thought at least you would be on my side."

"I'm always on your side, Gabriel," she said seriously. She turned to Riley, grasping her hands in hers. "I got what you asked for. And the bag is packed, so you two should be okay for awhile."

"Thank you, Mary," Riley smiled, but it lacked its usual dazzling quality. Gabriel was a little surprised when his mother hugged his partner so brazenly, and that Riley allowed it. Clearly he'd missed a lot the past two days. "For everything. You should be getting a call soon. They'll help you, keep you safe."

Riley turned back to Gabriel, determination setting her shoulders. "We need to go, whether you can move or not."

XOX

They switched vehicles three times in four hours, hotwiring each by Riley's hand just in case there was still a trace on Gabriel. Riley wasn't so sure Jameson was part of the team anymore after his last stunt, and that meant a stranger staring at a screen with no inclination as to what they could be doing to the pair on the run.

They had both the power of the United States Government and any foreign and domestic sleeper agents on a massive manhunt to find them, dead or alive. Her stellar career was a wash. By all rights, they could label them both terrorists and traitors to their country. He was a weapon, and she was aiding him.

And she still had no regrets.

"What happened to Mei Chen?" Gabriel asked to break the unnerving silence.

"She decided to take her chances. I wasn't particularly inclined to stop her. What's one more felony, anyway."

Gabriel sighed heavily. "Great. And all my firewalls are still down."

Riley's head whipped around so fast he thought she'd given herself whiplash. "What?"

"There wasn't any time for the Doc to repair the security measures…"

"Gabriel, do you have any idea how foolish that was!" she yelled, panic creeping into her normally placid tone.

"We had other problems, like not getting hauled in by our own people and dodging bullets!"

Riley was quiet for a long moment. "She was in your head wasn't she, this morning?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "Yes, she was."

"Did she have anything useful to say or was it a social call?" She asked, voice dripping with unadulterated sarcasm and contempt. She would never admit to Mei Chen or Gabriel, but she was curious about their renders together. She didn't have a right to be jealous, but it still tickled her mind, an itch utterly unscratchable.

"Does it matter?" he replied weakly, feeling the energy drain from his body.

She took in a deep breath. "No, I suppose it doesn't."

"Where are we going anyway?"

"To cash in a favor," she snapped. He didn't ask again, and the rest of the trip was spent in silence.

XOX

He blinked, taking in the sunny, suburban complex. He looked over at Riley, donning a baseball cap and oversized sunglasses like a celebrity incognito. She held out a hat to him as well, and he took it with an eyeroll.

"Now will you tell me?"

"Surprised you didn't figure it out yourself," she said smartly. Still angry.

"I'd like to save using the chip for a dire emergency."

She nodded, conceding his point. "Just follow me." Riley opened the trunk of the car, pulling out a duffle bag that belonged to him in high school. "We're gonna need this."

"My football gear?" he teased. She snorted, shaking her head.

"C'mon, we have a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it," she said, letting him rest a good amount of his weight on her as they approached one of the cookie cutter houses. It was a nice complex; all white brick with red doors and black shutters, sprawling green lawns and flower gardens. The kind of place he'd dreamed about back when he had a wife and a future.

Riley was knocking on one of the red doors before he realized it. When it opened, he knew he shouldn't have been surprised by the face on the other side.

"For reals, I never thought I'd see ya'll again!" Troy whooped, elated. "Step inside my office."

"You could have told me," Gabriel said, eyeing his partner who was basking in her own brilliance.

"But it's so much better seeing your reaction _now_," she smiled.

"Clever."

"All right, all right, I think I got everything you guys need. Drew took his wife out for a 'date night,' and my niece is at a sleepover, so we're golden. Bathroom is free, just try not to make too much of a mess."

"Got it Troy, and thanks, again," Riley said sincerely.

"Look, I owe you both, a lot. It's the least I can do for your pretty face."

Gabriel gave Troy a brotherly slap on the back. "Thanks kid."

XOX

"So, why are we trying not to make a mess in the bathroom?" Gabriel winced as they climbed the stairs to the second story. She guided him into the master bathroom, easing him down onto the tub's ledge.

Riley dropped the duffle bag on the countertop, unzipping it and pulling out the contents. "I had your mom pick up some things for us. I figured something would happen, but this is a bigger scale than even I prepared for. Our faces, our names, what we do, who we are…they're plastered on every television and right now we're anything but safe," she answered stiffly. "So, would you rather be black sapphire or warm espresso?"

She held out the two boxes of hair dye. "You've got to be kidding me," he muttered.

He sighed, pointing to the brown box. "Espresso it is," she said.

"What about you? Please, please, don't dye your hair blonde," he pleaded.

She gave him a funny look. "God no, I won't make that mistake again. I'll be black sapphire. You're also going to have to get used to these," Riley said, pulling out another box. "Pick a color, any color, that isn't blue."

Gabriel warily took the box, noting they were colored contacts. "Brown, I suppose."

He was taking this all pretty well in stride, she thought, knowing it would blow up in their faces soon enough. Riley huffed, setting aside the boxes of contacts and hair dye, facing him. "Look, Gabriel, I had time to come up with this and come to grips with it. I'm resigned to what we have to do, but…"

"But nothing, it's a better plan than I would have come up with. So let's just…get started, shall we?"

Riley nodded her consent.

It was easier to do Gabriel first. She trimmed his hair, colored it, and had him select his eye color of choice, handing him a new pair of dark wash jeans and a pale blue dress shirt. Then she sent him down to Troy. He wouldn't like her whole plan, she knew that, but they weren't left with many options other than life in prison or death.

She felt her heart lurch; trying to keep her head cool for Gabriel was taking its toll on her emotional state. She couldn't afford to breakdown now. At the forty five minute mark she washed her hair out, startled by the pitch blue/black color and ruefully picked up the scissors once more. She wasn't naturally a vain person, but she loved her hair. In a job like hers, it was something that defined her as feminine. She carefully cut off three inches, bringing the length to the middle of her chest, biting back tears.

Swallowing, she plucked the gray blue contacts from their curved beds and placed them in her eyes, flinching as she did. Riley dried and styled her hair with the travel size appliances and altered her makeup to fit her new image. She pulled on the simple navy sundress she'd had Mary pick up from a boutique in town and traded her ankle boots for brown leather flats.

She felt herself crumble a little when she saw the full effect in the mirror.

She was no longer Riley Neal.

Riley Neal was gone.

XOX


	2. What The Darkness Sees

**A/N: **Thanks for all the support guys! Here is chapter two, hopefully I'll be done with this soon (like I said, before Monday). I hope this part is up to par for ya'll. Enjoy! "We Fall Apart" lyrics by We As Human.

**The Running Free**

_You're a liar but I'm a coward_

_So I can't throw a stone_

_We're so imperfect but so worth it _

_Because we're not alone_

_It's the wars that we wage_

_The lives that we take_

_For better or for worse_

_It's the lion we cage_

_The love and the rage_

_That keeps us wanting more…_

XOX

"You don't have to do this, you know that?" Gabriel said to Troy as the genius teenager went about forging documents and creating new identities for him and for Riley.

Troy shrugged. "Not like I haven't done it before. You know my skills, gotta keep up or they get rusty. Besides, it's bull, what they're saying about you on the news."

Gabriel smiled. "Stay off their radar, Troy. Don't do anything to jeopardize _your_ future. I already ruined Riley's."

"Trust me, I don't think that's how she sees it," Troy said, looking up from his tedious work and eyeing Gabriel. "She's your protector, right? Your personal security. To her, she's still doing her job."

"I know," Gabriel replied quietly, wishing she'd stop. She was young and beautiful and could have done so much more than become a face on an America's Most Wanted list. She gave it all up for him. That thought twisted his heart.

Troy looked like he was about to say something else, but his gaze moved to the end of the room at a point beyond Gabriel. His jaw dropped lower. "Whoa," he said, a little dazed.

Gabriel knit his brow, turning in his seat to follow the boy's line of sight. "Riley?" he managed to ask aloud, awe in his voice.

The pitch black hair caught his attention first, standing out starkly against her pale skin. She'd cut it, and despite the loose waves it took on, it looked severe on someone who usually appeared soft and effortless. Her makeup was heavier; he realized she didn't usually wear it, or if she did it was natural and barely there whereas now the effect made the blue gray contacts stand out brightly. He didn't even want to comment on the dress, flowing too delicately around her hips. He didn't think Riley even owned a dress, having only ever seen her in jeans and a tee shirt, one of her leather jackets topping off her typical breezy look.

She looked different, strange, uncomfortable in her own skin.

His gaze fell away, reflecting on the image Mei Chen had conjured of Riley in their shared render and finding he missed it tremendously. This wasn't his partner. It was who she had to be now.

She cleared her throat. "What do you think?" she asked, trying to muster a smile that didn't quite make it to her eyes. Troy nodded, still gaping.

"Hot, very, very hot," he answered, finally tearing his eyes away to get back to his work. "I should be done soon, just need photos."

"Gabriel?" she tried again. He wouldn't look at her though, and he stood abruptly, wincing at the movement as he left Troy's 'office.'

She shook her head, biting her lip to hold back the immediate surge of emotion. She felt like someone had punched her in the stomach. It wasn't exactly the reaction she'd been hoping for, even if she felt the same way.

Riley followed after him. "Gabriel, wait," she pleaded; catching up with him was easy when he was still recovering from a gunshot wound, she thought, finding him sitting on the stairs. She walked up a few steps, taking a seat next to him. She nudged his shoulder with hers. "Talk to me."

"I don't want you to do this, Riley. I don't want you to give everything up for me, your career, your appearance. It's too much, for any one person to do for another. Not without a good reason at least," he said bitterly, shoulders tense.

Riley looked taken aback. "I need a reason to help my friend, now? I can't possibly not have some hidden motive or agenda, is that right? Do I look like Mei Chen to you?" she bit out harshly.

He shook his head, running a hand through his now deep brown hair, frustrated. "That's not what I meant, and you know it," Gabriel said, finally meeting her strange, blue gray eyes. "I don't think you realize what you're giving up to be here."

"We already had this discussion, Gabriel. What is it that you really think I'm giving up? My mother and I don't speak, I haven't seen my father in years, and my brother and I talk on Christmas; and let's face it, it's not like I have someone waiting for me at home either. As for my career, do you really think they would have taken me back with open arms, having spent the past year with America's top secret weapon in my charge? I'd be lucky to protect some spoiled D list celebrity, let alone the leader of the free world. If anything, Gabriel, they would have used me against you, to get to you. I'm safer here _with_ you."

He laughed humorlessly. "You're really something, you know that?"

She smiled a little, putting a reassuring hand on his arm. "I thought this through. I know all the implications of my actions. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, I promise you that."

Gabriel sighed heavily, his hand coming up to twist one of the loose, midnight black tendrils of her hair in his fingers, his new brown eyes meeting her striking blue ones. "This is going to take some getting used to."

"It's just hair, Gabriel," she said quietly, knowing she was trying to comfort herself as much as him. "It's still me. It's still you."

"Yeah, I suppose it is," he agreed, still put off by the stranger sitting next to him.

"There's one more thing you might have to get used to, by the way," Riley said carefully, reaching into the small clutch he hadn't seen her carrying. "The covers Troy is creating for us, to make them stick, I figured we'd get by easier if we came off as just your ordinary married couple."

She opened her fist, revealing two rings. "I had your mom get these as well."

His eyes went wide, curious. "From where?" he asked in surprise, taking the pretty, gold engagement ring from her palm. A modest diamond sat in its center, an abstract swirled design curling around it with two more diamonds sitting on either side. It always looked like a flower to him.

"I'm not sure, I just gave her a list, Gabriel. I was kind of making this up as I went along for two days." To try to keep herself from worrying about his health, she didn't add.

"This is my mom's ring," he said gently. "Was my grandmother's."

Riley gaped a little, unsure of what to say as she looked down at the gold band in her open hand, noting it was probably his father's.

"Why would she give this to you?" he said more to himself. It should have gone to his oldest brother's wife, he realized. Or even to Amelia, when he'd married her. He'd assumed it was too hard for her to give up once his father had died. He hadn't given it much thought even, but he rendered his mother's image when they arrived at her house, ring still on her hand, and after she'd hugged him before they left.

It was gone.

"Gabriel, I didn't know," she said, bracing herself for some kind of backlash.

"She never gave it to any of us," he continued, as if he didn't hear her. "We all figured it was too hard for her to give it up when my dad died. I'm not sure what you said to her, but she wouldn't have given these to you unless she…trusted you, I suppose."

Riley swallowed, not sure how to respond to his guess or his mother's outward display of trust or admiration or…something else entirely. Maybe she had assumed they were involved somehow, taken her protective demeanor as something more than friendly concern.

Maybe she saw more than either of them wanted to see.

"Are you going to be okay with this?" Riley asked warily, a little afraid of his response. Their covers were hinging on her plan.

He twirled the ring between his index finger and thumb. "Yeah," he smiled, grasping her left hand and sliding the band onto her ring finger slowly. "If I have to be fake married to anyone to save our lives, you're someone I'd consider."

"Oh, gee, thanks," Riley replied sarcastically. She knew he was trying to lighten the mood.

Gabriel looked at her seriously, the question out of his mouth before he could stop it. "How long do you think we'll have to keep this up?"

Riley shrugged, feeling as helpless as he looked. "I don't know. Mei Chen's in the wind, sleeper agents aren't just going to stop, Lillian's been relieved of duty, Tetazoo is obsessed with taking the chip out of your head…"

"We're pretty screwed," Gabriel said, cutting her off with a dark laugh. She nodded. He squeezed the hand he'd just put the ring on. "Much as I don't want you involved in this, I'm glad you're with me."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else," she answered, a sureness in her voice he couldn't believe was really there.

Troy came around the corner. "Guys, picture time."

XOX

He took their photos, uploading them in quick succession. "The ID's should be done in a few minutes. I've got your credit histories set up, former jobs and employers, marriage and birth certificates, addresses, what magazines you like…basically the only person that could figure out this was fake would be you, Gabriel," Troy said with conviction. "And they'll never be able to track this back to me without someone like you anyway, so my future is safe."

"They're lucky to have you, you know?" Gabriel said, speaking about Cyber Command.

Troy grinned proudly. "Naw, they'll _be_ lucky to have me. They _were_ lucky to have you. That's their bad."

He handed Gabriel and Riley their IDs and various falsified documents in a folder. "Jonathon and Susanna Kent," Gabriel said, trying the new names out.

"You guys be careful. If you need me, Riley knows how to get in touch with me. I know you probably don't wanna use your chip thing that much, but all this information is backed up online. Everything but where you're going now, you know, like if you buy a house or something."

"Thanks Troy, we should be able to manage with this," Riley said, bringing the teenager in for a hug.

"Totally worth it," Troy smiled, enjoying the embrace a little too much. Gabriel raised an eyebrow.

"Okay kid, that's enough," Gabriel razzed good-naturedly. "I'll find a way to let you know we're okay."

"Stay safe, and I'll try to cover up any digital tracks you leave along the way," Troy said as the pair gathered the duffle bag together.

"Seeya later, Cortez," Gabriel winked, guiding Riley out of the home as Troy waved them off. "So, where to now, Susanna?"

Riley shot him a look. "First we need a new car, then we'll find a hotel for the night, figure out where to go from here."

XOX

They stopped when darkness fell, too exhausted to keep switching cars and driving. The hotel was far from four stars, let alone one, but it was a place to sleep.

Riley had Gabriel wait in the car while she ran into the hotel. The news ran silently on the tv screen behind the receptionist, and she paled a little at the consistent running tagline at the bottom. _Armed and seriously dangerous. _Riley cleared her throat. "Room for two adults for tonight and tomorrow, please?"

The receptionist, Pam, from her nametag, glanced up without a single spec of recognition for the woman across the counter from her. "ID, and will that be credit or cash?"

Riley smiled politely. "Cash," she responded, handing over the fresh ID. Pam clicked through the computer, adding the information.

"I've got a non-smoking room with a king bed, or non-smoking with two singles," Pam said, waiting for Riley's answer.

Riley bit the inside of her cheek when she nearly asked for the second option. They couldn't look suspicious, especially if they were married. "The king is fine."

"$104. 35, there's breakfast in the morning, seven to nine," Pam added as Riley handed her the cash. She slid the key card across the counter.

Riley took the key card, holding her breath. "Thank you, good night."

Pam nodded, picking up the remote and changing the channel.

So far, so good.

XOX

Riley knocked on the passenger window, rousing Gabriel from his brief nap. "We good?" he asked, looking around cautiously when he closed the car door.

"Yes, but we should be careful how often we leave the room. We're a breaking news story, after all," she said, grabbing the small suitcases she'd purchased to transfer everything from the duffle bag into. They'd picked up clothes, toiletries, and two burner phones, all with cash, throughout the day. "I also think we should go out tomorrow and buy a used car, something cheap we can buy in cash without the need for a lot of background checks, not that I don't trust Troy."

"Just precaution," Gabriel added, taking the suitcases from her hands. Riley gave him a wry smile.

"C'mon, we're this way," she said, leading them up the narrow staircase to their room.

"Well, this looks…cozy," Gabriel stated, eyeing the single king bed in the room after she swiped them in.

Riley sighed, raising an eyebrow at him. "Yes, a married couple checking into a hotel and asking for separate beds won't look the least bit suspicious."

"We could be fighting?" he tried.

"We could be dead tomorrow?" she shot back. He nodded.

"That's a fair point." Gabriel grabbed the remote, flipping on the tv. "May as well see how they're painting us."

"I'm gonna change," Riley said tiredly, grabbing one of the suitcases and moving into the bathroom. "And put the Do Not Disturb sign on the door, the last thing we need is housekeeping in here."

Troy was certainly right in his statement. Everything the media was saying was a bunch of slapped together bull. Having enough, he turned the set off, putting the sign outside the door and changing into boxers and a white tee shirt. He'd have Riley redress the bandage on his abdomen when she came out.

Riley breathed deeply, trying to calm herself down as she gripped the edge of the counter. When had everything spun so far out of control? When had their worlds turned upside down and backwards? A week ago they'd been sharing dinner and drinks and laughing, going to work and solving crimes and doing it all again the next day.

But everything was different now. And for once, she didn't think they'd make it out of this alive. Or at the very least, she didn't think she would. Despite their mutual respect, attachment to each other, and use of the word _partner_ to describe their equal footing, she would always put him before herself, at whatever cost.

The Director of National Intelligence hadn't been wrong when he'd said protection was in her blood.

It was just another possibility in her slap dash plan.

She turned on the sink, cupping the cool water and running it over her face, smothering the soundless tears before they had a chance to fall. She looked far older than her thirty-one years like this, she thought, removing the heavy makeup and placing the icy blue contacts back into a small case.

Free of makeup and able to see herself with her own bottle green eyes reflected in the cloudy mirror made her feel less like a stranger to herself. She could deal with the hair; it wasn't the worst color she had ever tried. At least makeup free and bearing her own eye color, Gabriel might actually look at her. He'd avoided all major eye contact since she'd entered Troy's room so many hours ago.

It hurt that he wouldn't acknowledge her. And she knew he realized that. But it didn't change anything.

She folded the dress she'd worn neatly, pulling out gray pajama shorts and a black tank top. Exhaustion filled every crevice in her body.

Riley turned off the light, emerging from the bathroom.

"Think you can take a look at this?" Gabriel asked, pawing through the first aid kit Mary had packed for them.

"Sure," Riley answered, coming around to the side of the bed by the window. "Your mom gave us everything we'd need to take care of the wound. Lay back, and take your shirt off," she instructed.

"That's a little forward Agent Neal. Figured we'd do dinner first," Gabriel jested, making a show of removing his shirt. Riley gave him an evil look.

"Please, you'd have to do better than dinner," she threw back smugly, noticing the surprise in his eyes as she peeled back the bandage, checking the stitches. "Stitches are holding up well, doesn't look like infection is setting in."

She cleaned the wound gently, recovering it with a new bandage and taping the edges. His hand wrapped around her wrist when he saw the contacts she'd been wearing were gone. She looked up at him curiously.

"I…miss your eyes," he admitted, surprising her with his sincerity. "I'm not a fan of the gray, it seems too cold for you."

She smiled, flushing slightly. He'd removed his contacts as well, and only the bright blue shined. "I'm not too crazy about your brown eyes either."

"You almost look like you again," he said, not releasing her wrist yet. Instead he let his thumb drift over her pulse point. It jumped erratically.

"That a compliment?"

"Definitely," he replied. Their gazes locked for a long moment, and she had to shake herself to come back to the reality at hand.

"We should get some rest. I'm still coming up with this plan as I go while trying to keep your ass alive."

"So, we can't afford to be distracted," Gabriel replied, a loaded statement if she'd ever heard one. His blue eyes turned dark with an emotion she didn't want to think about.

"Exactly," she whispered, pulling her wrist out of his grasp. Riley moved from her perch, going to the opposite side of the large bed. "Good night, Gabriel."

He sighed, frustrated with her distance. "Night."

XOX

Most people dreamed when they slept. Gabriel rendered.

And in the dark of night, his subconscious mind took over, morphing events and suppositions into renders he walked through, completely aware of everything he saw before him. Sometimes he wondered if he ever really slept since he acquired the chip.

The dream render echoed the very room he currently resided in, down to every spec of dust. Something called him, and he pushed back the covers to follow it.

_Gabriel._

He turned towards the window.

Mei Chen was reflected back, standing behind him.

"It's tiring, waiting for you to go to sleep. It's the only time we can play," she pouted.

"You've got to stop this Mei Chen," he growled.

"Please, you enjoy being here as much as I do. You search so hard to find someone who understands you, and you forget I'm right here, Gabriel," she approached him slowly, seductively. He took a step backward when she reached out, running her hand down his chest. Her eyes narrowed. "I don't get your hesitation Gabriel, we had so much fun last time."

He laughed darkly. "It wasn't real, Mei Chen. It happened in our heads, and it was a play at that."

She blatantly ignored him, the impish grin overtaking her red lips again.

"Perhaps a change of scenery is in order. You seem to enjoy this view," Mei Chen said slyly, transforming herself into a render of Riley wearing little more than a black negligee.

"Stop it," he commanded coldly.

"Stop what? This is what you want, isn't it?" she moved closer to him, moving her hands up his chest, taunting him with a perfect imitation of her voice. "You can have anything you want here Gabriel, you can have me."

She pressed her body against his, bringing their lips together. He lost himself for a long moment, holding onto the only version of the woman he wanted for as long as he could. The Mei Chen/Riley render viciously tore at the buttons on his shirt, pushing it off his shoulders as his hands roamed her back through the thin mesh.

Warning bells clanged in his head as the render flickered like a damaged string of Christmas lights. He pushed back, gripping the rendered Riley by her shoulders. The render fell away, leaving him cold as he glared back at Mei Chen.

"You really are a serpent," he ground out.

"Spare me," Mei Chen spat, vanishing before him.

Gabriel's eyes flew open, finding himself back in the actual hotel room, breathing hard and sweat coating his forehead. He tried to get up, hoping if he threw ice water on his face he'd feel better, but his movement was restricted.

Riley was curled up to him, head lying on his bare chest with her right arm thrown over his stomach, holding him to her. He smiled at the protective gesture. Even when she was sleeping she kept him safe.

Gabriel relaxed, easing his own arm around her shoulders. She made a sound in the back of her throat, tilting her head so it rested in the crook of his neck. He brought his free arm up, combing his fingers through her newly black locks.

He didn't need a render.

The renders weren't real.

The woman in his arms was.

XOX


	3. As Human As We Are

**A/N: **Chapter 3! I know, I know. I said it would be done before the last episode premiered so it's now AU territory, but such is life. I'm gonna double whammy you all and post both chapters. Again, sorry. But hey, that was a hell of a season finale! And how cute is Gabriel's mom? Lol, that scene at the end! 'Human' lyrics by Manafest.

**The Running Free**

'_Cause I wear my heart on my sleeve_

_If you cut me I'll bleed_

_I know I cannot erase_

_Every mistake that I've made_

_I never said I was an angel_

_No_

_I never said I wouldn't break down_

_But life keeps on moving_

_By now you should know_

_I'm only human…_

XOX

Lillian paced like a caged animal. Jobless was not something she did well. She'd spent the last week calling in every favor and making deals six ways to Sunday to try to get her people back, to find some loophole in the system. She had to commend Riley and Gabriel their ability to vanish so efficiently from the grid. She only hoped they were okay.

Meanwhile Tetazoo wielded his sword of power without mercy, making Jameson his first victim. The agent that had been her right hand was demoted effective immediately, proving loyalty would get you nowhere in their business. Not wanting to look bad, he still demanded Gabriel and Riley's heads, despite the knowledge that Mei Chen had a hand in framing him. Despite the sleeper agents that began popping up like daisies within all of their departments.

She and the Doctors' Cassidy spent countless hours trying to figure out ways to free their comrades from their self imposed exile, coming up empty and exhausted. And then, one night she shot straight up from a deep sleep, the answer making her gasp.

_The Athens's List._

XOX

"You look horrible. Are you even sleeping?" Riley asked, packing her pajamas into her suitcase as he blinked blearily. On the run and she still kept to her strict wake up call. They'd moved three times in the past week, finding themselves in nowhere, Tennessee as of last night. Gabriel massaged his head.

"Yeah, and _you_ look like a million bucks," he ground out tiredly. She turned away with a dramatic eyeroll, but not before he caught the hurt look on her face. "I'm sorry. You're right, I'm not…sleeping."

She nodded, grabbing a small cosmetic bag from a pocket in her suitcase and tossing it onto the desk behind her. "Want to talk about it?"

Riley's feigned reserve wasn't fooling him. He hadn't said a word, but she knew Mei Chen was part, if not all, of the reason he wasn't able to sleep. He'd been weird around her lately, too. Distant and unsure, awkward and very unlike him. At first she thought it was the way she looked, still getting used to it herself. Despite their mutual dislike for the changes they'd had to make, they were adjusting well.

Her second thought was it could be their close quarters, but they'd both remained professional given the circumstances, her more so out of respect for her job. Even if she technically no longer worked for the U.S. government. She paused as she turned to the desk, setting up a small mirror when the thought occurred to her. She no longer worked for them. She wasn't Gabriel's protector, not in any official capacity. There were no binding rules to follow anymore.

It was a strangely giddy feeling she disregarded immediately. There was no room for complications of that nature right now.

Gabriel swallowed roughly. "Not particularly. We have more important things to concentrate on than my lack of ability to sleep."

Riley accepted his dismissal, as she always did. The curiosity tickled the back of her mind though, as she bit her tongue. One day she would ask. She was more afraid of the answer she'd receive than anything.

His gaze grew distant as he stared out the window.

"You're wondering how they're doing," Riley observed from her seat at the desk. She put in the ice blue contacts and laid out her makeup, becoming accustomed to her new routine. She didn't much care for it, but it would keep them safe. Altering their appearances as much as possible seemed to be holding.

He nodded. "Yeah, I miss them, you know? They're like…family. And I'm worried."

"I know," she agreed. For someone who didn't have much in the way of a close knit family, she certainly considered their odd little group part of her own. She was better for it. It made her job harder, but more worthwhile. She cared a great deal about these people.

"We'll see them again," Riley said with more conviction than she felt. The truth was, she didn't see them returning home anytime in the near future. It was a feeling that wouldn't leave her be. They had nothing to bargain with. And after Gabriel's second trap, she doubted Mei Chen would fall into one again.

"You're right," he said, trying to bring the mood up. "We need to get out of here. I can't stay cooped up in a hotel room, Riley. Not that the company's lacking, but I feel like I'm starting to get serious cabin fever."

Riley rolled her eyes. "Fine. We're leaving anyways. Put your contacts in."

"I thought you paid up until tomorrow?" He wondered, grabbing the case that held the brown contacts.

"Better to keep moving, just in case someone recognizes us," she answered back, brushing her shoulder length hair through quickly.

Gabriel made a face. "I barely recognize us."

Riley slammed the brush down, frustrated. "Look, Gabriel, I don't like this either. I hate the contacts, I want my hair back, as silly as that sounds given the situation, and if I have to keep wearing dresses I might shoot something, but I'd rather be someone I'm not than be held in some hole for treason!"

Gabriel leaned away from her aggressive posture from his perch on the bed's edge. "Maybe we should stop at a gym. Work off…this," he mumbled, waving his hand in a circle around her. A teasing look came over his countenance. "Of course, I can think of other ways to burn off the frustration."

She nearly smacked the Cheshire grin off his dimpled face. Her fists tightened, and he took that as his cue to hide in the bathroom while she finished her girly routine.

He came out ten minutes later, hands raised when she glared at him.

"I come in peace, I swear. I'm sorry, what I said was uncalled for, but clearly both of us need to get out of here. We're both tense, edgy. We need space. Hotel rooms aren't cutting it. And I think I might have an idea," he gave her a wary grin. "You're not going to like it though."

She sighed, turning to face him fully. The effect of her new look still startled him, still took him a minute to remember who he was talking too. "Well?" she asked, exasperated at his lengthy pause.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "You might remember Norris?"

Riley tensed considerably, gripping the back of the desk chair fiercely. "Your special forces buddy, the one that tried to kill us? How could I forget," her clipped answer came, suspicion in her tone. "Why?"

"I think he might be able to help us. And frankly, he owes me."

She ground her teeth. "How?"

Riley could practically feel her skin crawling. Norris was someone she didn't trust as far as she could throw him, let alone rely on for their safety. _For Gabriel's safety_, she amended mentally.

"He has a house he built, buried in the backwoods down in Georgia. It's at least seven miles outside the closest small town, even farther from the nearest city. We're talking you have to drive to see your neighbor."

"And you just happen to know this? Did you use the chip or something?" she questioned carefully.

He shook his head. "It was something he talked about when we were in the war, a place he wanted to go back to if he survived. I was the only one who knew about it."

"And he's just going to willingly hand us the keys?"

Gabriel shot her a withering look. "That's not what I said. But it doesn't hurt to ask, now does it?"

"And the minute you use the chip, we're blown. They'll track us down immediately. All so you can _ask_ your back stabbing buddy if we can crash at his house?" She pointed out.

"Well I may have an idea about that."

Riley raised an eyebrow. "You're just full of them today," she taunted.

"Admit it, you're sick of hotels too Riley," Gabriel threw back.

She couldn't deny it. The fear of being caught ran rampant.

Gabriel smirked. "That's what I thought. Now, hear me out."

He explained his plan. It wasn't horrible, if she thought about it. Gabriel would place calls to all the people they knew who could possibly help them while tracking Norris specific number. He'd also set off surrounding car systems, locks, and alarms in vehicles, hotels, and restaurants as a distraction. It would take Tetazoo's people a while to sift through all the interference. By that point they'd be out of the city. And with Norris line of work, it was unlikely they'd think to check in with him, if they could find him.

"Fine," Riley finally acquiesced to his plan. "Just remember, if this fails, Gabriel, we're both done."

Gabriel huffed. "You're being paranoid, Riley."

"You're still alive, aren't you?" she shot back.

Gabriel opened his mouth to respond, but found he couldn't. She had a point. He sighed, knowing he'd never win this argument "Let's just…get this started, shall we?"

"Alright, I'm ready. Are you?" She stood, zipping the makeup case and smoothing her green dress down. He'd never admit it, but he was enjoying the dresses she wore. It offered him a delightful view of her long legs.

"Yes, contacts are in, clothes are packed," he replied.

"That's great, but I think you're forgetting something," she said coyly.

He eyed her curiously. "And what's that?"

Riley looked down, nodding. "Pants."

XOX

Riley made sure everything was packed into the car and they were checked out of the hotel before Gabriel enacted his plan. They'd have a small window of opportunity to find John Norris' number. "Ready?" Riley asked, gripping the steering wheel. They'd purchased a cheap, used car that Gabriel joked predated the internet by a decade three days prior. It was an innocuous champagne color that blended in easily but had the misfortune of smelling like a pack a day smoker. No one said running for their lives was going to be glamorous.

"Ready," Gabriel answered. "Here goes everything."

He triggered the cars that surrounded them remotely, setting off alarms consecutively. He knew somewhere Lillian, Nelson, Dr. Cassidy, Jameson, and a myriad of other people were picking up their cell phones to answer nothing but static.

And then he found it.

"Got him. Write this number down," he said distantly. She scribbled on the pad of paper, throwing the car into gear and pulling out of the parking lot and onto the highway.

"We'll stop when we cross into Georgia. Find a payphone at a gas station," Riley said quietly, tension seeping out of her. Gabriel put a hand a on her shoulder.

"It'll be okay. We'll be fine."

XOX

Three hours later and parked behind a gas station, Gabriel took the piece of paper and dropped coins into the ancient payphone, dialing the hastily scrawled number. Riley paced madly.

"Norris," came the gruff voice on the other end of the line.

"John, it's Gabriel," Gabriel said quietly.

"Gabriel? What the hell, man?" Norris yelped. "You've got the whole government searching for you. Jesus, they have _me _looking for you!"

Gabriel sighed heavily. "You gonna turn me in?"

"No way," Norris replied without hesitation. "Not after Bolivia. Not after everything you did, before. Gotta play the part though. I got them thinking I'm a neutral party. But you know that, and you wouldn't have risked calling me if I wasn't a last resort."

"Always observant. Look, I have a favor to ask. We need a place to hide…"

"We? Oh, right, that spitfire bodyguard you have. She's gotta be fun to run with," Norris harped.

"Easy, she didn't have to be part of this. She chose to be. There are sleeper agents in the government, John. They exposed us. Doesn't help we've got the Director of the CIA calling for blood either."

"Tetazoo always was a power hungry bastard," Norris agreed. "Look, you can have my place. You know where it is. It's secluded enough, and no one knows about it but you. Hell, the land and zoning permits were never in my name; I wanted it off the grid. I stayed there for awhile after Bolivia, so electricity and water are up and running. You two shouldn't have a problem."

Gabriel swallowed thickly. "Thanks, man."

"Yeah, yeah. Put your girl on," he said carefully. Gabriel waved Riley over, holding out the phone to her. She gave him a funny look, but he just shrugged.

"Norris," she said, as saccharine as she could.

"We don't like each other, I get that," Norris commented, as she recalled shooting him in the chest. "And I'm sure the last thing you want to do is trust me."

"Gee, no kidding," she lamented sarcastically.

"But I need to trust you right now too. I trust you'll keep him alive. Despite our differences, we have him in common. We'd both do anything to protect him. I want you to know I'll keep my promise, I won't lead them anywhere near the two of you, as long as you keep yours."

Riley nodded, even though he couldn't see it. "Always will," she answered softly.

"Good."

Norris ended the call, leaving Riley with nothing more than a dial tone and the feeling they'd somehow bonded in their short conversation.

"What'd he say?" Gabriel asked, noting the odd look on her face. She shook her head.

"Nothing important. Let's go."

XOX

The drive was longer than either anticipated, and Riley was forced to give up driving when her eyes started fluttering behind the wheel. Gabriel happily took over, much to Riley's chagrin. It didn't help the dark night sky had opened up and rain came down in sheets, blurring the road before them.

"Not gonna talk to me, try to keep me awake?" he cajoled, not that he'd gotten much rest in the passenger seat. Mei Chen's vicious invasion of his mind was starting to wear on him. He couldn't figure out if she thought she was helping him, or if she was trying to drive him mad intentionally. She claimed she wanted to teach him the ways of the chip, but that was quickly becoming a useless venture when they were tracking his every use of it. Fortunately the renders were his alone; he wasn't hacking anything when he conjured them.

"You really want me to make…small talk with you? With everything that's going on?"

Gabriel shrugged. "It'd be a nice change of pace. We could play I Spy, or 20 questions. Or hey, truth or dare?"

Riley gave him a bemused look. "First, it's dark out. Second, 20 questions is a horrible trap, and third, truth or dare is right up there with spin the bottle," she laughed.

"I'm not opposed to spin the bottle," he smirked brightly.

She tilted her head. "We're in a car, Gabriel."

He slumped slightly. "Kill joy."

"Fine, 20 questions. Who goes first?" Riley conceded.

"Okay, I will. Hot or cold?" he started.

"Hot. You know I like the desert," she answered. He nodded.

"True. Chinese or pizza?"

"Pizza, only if there's beer," she added quickly.

"Of course, this is America. Day or night?"

"Day. Why are you asking me things you already know about me?" she asked. "Afraid of what you'll find out if you ask me something you don't know?"

"Maybe. Why, you feel like sharing?" he questioned, glancing at her.

"I save your life for a living, and I don't know your favorite color, Gabriel."

"Didn't think about it that way. Blue, though. Definitely. Brings out my eyes," he smiled.

"And I'm learning how very modest you are in this time of great despair," she chuckled, crossing her arms. "How about we each get five personal questions to ask. And you have to answer, no lying, no take backs."

"Now who sounds like they're in high school?" he joked. She shoved his shoulder lightly. "Okay, okay. First question…Do you think you'll ever talk to your mother again?"

The smile fell from her face faster than their lives had gone downhill. She cleared her throat. "It's not a question of me talking to her. It's a question of her willingly talking to me, Gabriel. It's not for lack of trying."

"Sorry. Maybe this isn't such a good idea," he said, regretting this game.

"No, no take backs, remember?" she tried to smile. "Do you still think Amelia was innocent, up in that hospital?" It was an odd question that plagued her since it happened.

He sighed. It was hard for him to admit. "No," he answered simply. "And I hate myself for thinking that."

"Did you ever have any regrets, marrying her?"

Gabriel floundered a little, searching for the words. "Not in the beginning. We were happy, you know? We got a year together, and it was good. But if someone had been able to tell me everything that happened after that…no, I'd still do it all."

"Why?" she asked curiously.

"You're already down two questions, sure you want to ask that as your number three?"

"Yes."

"If she hadn't have been activated, I wouldn't have lost her. I wouldn't have volunteered for the chip. And I wouldn't have met you," he worked out quietly.

Riley's smile was watery, not sure how to respond to that.

"So my question to you would be, do you regret taking the job?"

Riley laughed a little. "At first, yes. You were stubborn and arrogant and you thought that smile of yours would get you anywhere. Not that you don't still think that way. But you have a good heart, and your dedication proved that to me time and again. I couldn't ask for someone better to be my…partner."

"We make a pretty good team," Gabriel agreed. Riley smiled.

She was about to ask the question that burned on the tip of her tongue when Gabriel squinted. "I think that's the house."

Riley looked over at him. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's the address I remember. Norris said he left the key above the door, I'll go check," Gabriel said, shutting off the car near the end of the lengthy driveway.

"No way, I'll go. I'm still your protector," she interjected, bouncing out of the car before he could follow. God, she hated rain. Apparently when it rained in Georgia, it poured. She shivered a little, reaching up and running her fingers along the top of the door and found the key where Norris said it would be. That was one promise kept. Riley dashed back. "Got it."

"Did you go swimming while you were looking for the key?"

She shot him a dark look. "Just…shut up."

He laughed, moving the car farther up the driveway so they were directly in front of the garage. Gabriel got out now, pulling the garage door up and coming around to move the car inside.

"Now who went swimming," Riley snarked.

"Cattiness is not a good look for you," he shot back. They'd have to brave the outdoors one last time anyways. The garage was a separate entity from the small house. They grabbed their suitcases, glancing at each other. "Little late to worry about getting wet now."

They ran anyway, and he was grateful Riley had unlocked the door before she'd returned. "You said the electricity worked, right?"

"Yeah, it should," he reached over, flipping a light switch. The room brightened immediately. "Thank god."

"Well I guess I have to give him some credit. He did come through for us," Riley admitted.

"What did he say to you?" Gabriel asked again. "You have to answer this time."

"He told me to take care of you," she answered simply.

"You already do that. And you don't even have too. It's not your job anymore," he replied, recalling the same thing she'd figured out that morning.

Riley crossed her arms, her soaking dress clinging to her body and her hair dripping a steady stream was not how she wanted to have this conversation. "I know that. Doesn't change anything."

"I think it does," he said softly. The look in his eyes daring her to prove him worng.

She swallowed, looking away. "I still get another question, don't I," she said, more of a statement than anything.

Gabriel crossed his arms, mimicking her pose. "Fair is fair."

"What happens in your renders, with Mei Chen?"

He narrowed his gaze and she caught his grimace. "Where did that come from?"

"Something she said to me, when we caught her. She asked if you ever told me about them, the renders. I told her no. I figured if it was important you'd tell me. But she got under my skin, the way she talked about you two, together," Riley licked her lips nervously. "How did you get her to take the bait, Gabriel?"

He clenched his jaw. "Which one do you want me to answer first?

"Consider them my final questions. Your choice."

He paced the modest living room, trailing mud and water in his wake. "She wasn't going to sit down and have a chat, Riley," he started, hands on his hips. Something akin to regret filtered into his voice, and Riley knew what was coming. What she was so afraid of. He faced her, eyes connecting. "I let her kiss me."

Riley heard the words he wasn't saying. "It went farther than that," she said, not meaning to sound as accusatory as she did. Mei Chen wouldn't have described him as carnivorous if it hadn't. "You know what, I shouldn't have asked. I didn't want to know," she mumbled, kicking off her drenched flats and grabbing her suitcase, attempting to find a bedroom.

Gabriel ran a hand through his wet hair. This was not how he saw this going.

"Riley, wait," he called out. At least in a house essentially in the middle of nowhere, there weren't many places to run. He found her at the end of the one level home, a small lamp glowing on the nightstand next to the bed.

"There are two bedrooms. This one and one across the hall. There's that at least, I guess," she said, the business tone back in her voice.

He sighed. "Riley, you're the one that asked. Hell, I didn't think it mattered to you."

She froze. "You're right, it doesn't."

"Then why are acting like a jealous girlfriend?" he commented. The look she gave him could have killed him.

"I am not. What I am acting like is someone who's concerned she could fool you into trying to kill me…again," Riley responded angrily.

Gabriel winced, recalling the plane ride almost a year ago. "The renders aren't real, Riley. They're like, dreams you're aware of, that you can control. Do you really think Mei Chen is someone I wanted to do anything with, if I had a choice? It _wasn't real_, Riley," he finished in a whisper. "_You_ are real."

Riley shook her head. "What does that even mean, Gabriel," she huffed, giving up her frustrated attempts to unpack her suitcase. What she wanted was a hot bath, given the chill overtaking her soaked body.

"It means Mei Chen will say anything, do anything to get to you. Especially you," he said warily. "She's perceptive, and considering she's literally been inside my head, there are things she knows that I can barely admit to myself."

"Like what Gabriel?" She asked hesitantly, arms wrapped protectively around herself. The tension in the air hung thick as fog, standing on opposite sides of the small bedroom.

He looked away, pausing before he continued. "You're not my bodyguard anymore, Riley. There are no rules for us to follow. There's no one to report to. We don't get to go back to our old lives."

She raised an eyebrow, a small grin on her lips. "So you're saying, we're stuck with each other?"

He lifted a shoulder. "That's not so bad, is it?"

"No, it's not. But why can't you just tell me what you really want to say," she pressed, searching his eyes and seeing everything he was holding back.

"Why can't you?" he said, turning her question around on her.

"Because I asked you first."

"You already used all your questions," he smirked, moving to stand closer to her, still far enough away that she couldn't touch him.

"Fair is fair," she mocked quietly.

"I'd say so," he replied. She shivered again. He looked at her, concern in his gaze. He couldn't stop the way his eyes lingered on her drenched form and the way the dress clung to her lean body. He cleared his throat. "Cold?"

"No," Riley whispered. She was only partially lying.

He tilted his head, feeling the tension become too much for the two of them. He backed away, opting to give her space. "I should let you change."

She nodded, feeling disappoint settle deep within. "Yeah, you should too, change, I mean. We'll figure things out in the morning."

Gabriel gave her a tight-lipped smile, disappearing into the room across the hall.

Riley heaved a sigh, sitting heavily on the bed, dropping her head into her hands. How were they going to do this? There was so much unsaid between them, so much that caused tension and awkwardness. They couldn't afford to act like this, like children tugging on each other's hair and pushing buttons that shouldn't be pushed. She hugged herself tightly.

She felt his presence return before she heard him.

He moved almost silently, coming to stand in front of her. He held out a hand and she took it easily, letting him pull her into him. "I don't need you to be my bodyguard, Riley. I just need you. I only want you."

Riley's eyes were wide, and she couldn't tell if the wetness on her face was tears or the rain dripping from her hair. "Gabriel, we can't…"

"Why can't we? Give me one reason," he demanded, gently. She opened her mouth to reply but nothing came. There was no answer. No one to report to, no rules, just as he'd said, just as she knew.

She knit her forehead, the realization coming together slowly that their names weren't clear, but they were _free_.

"I want you too," she whispered roughly, feeling every wall she'd held up the past year cave in around her. Everything she wasn't supposed to feel, everything she wasn't supposed to want.

They both moved at once, one of his arms moving to her waist to pull her in closer, while the other hand grasped the back of her neck, crushing her lips to his. Her hands slid up his chest, sending goosebumps down his arms. It reminded him of the render Mei Chen cast, but the realness of this was earth shattering compared to a dream. She was real, soft, beautiful. She wouldn't vanish, or flicker, or change into something she wasn't.

That was the beauty of reality.

She gasped, pulling back when she needed air. Her expression was dazed, a little confused. But he found permission in her bright green eyes. He tilted his head, reclaiming her lips with more force as her fingers worked the buttons on his shirt. One arm still gripped her waist, the other seeking the zipper on the back of her dress, easing it down the tracks until it stopped at the bottom of her spine, electricity coursing through her.

He released his grip to let her push the soaked shirt off his shoulders to the floor, before his hands came back, grasping the straps of her dress and pulling them from her shoulders as well, feeling her squirm when he trailed his fingertips along the sides of her rib cage as the dress fell, creating a puddle of silk alongside his shirt.

She pulled away for a moment, cloudy eyed and flushed pink. He brought a hand up to cup her cheek, unable to stop touching her. She put her hand over his, looking up at him firmly.

"There's no going back, Gabriel," Riley whispered with a touch of fear.

He heard both meanings, layered together in a strange symmetry. He pulled her in for another sound kiss, committing every detail of this to memory, before leaning his forehead against hers.

"I wouldn't want too."

There was no more talking after that.


	4. Somebody That I Used To Know

**A/N: **A funny note, I wrote the ending before the third chapter in one sitting. It took me 9 hours and a lot of deleting, but I'm pretty excited about my ending. I had a great passion for this story, and I hope it came through for you guys. I've loved all the feedback, so here it is, the final chapter. 'We Fall Apart' lyrics by We As Human.

**The Running Free**

_But isn't it beautiful_

_The way we fall apart_

_It's magical and tragic_

_All the ways we break our hearts_

_So unpredictable_

_We're comfortably miserable_

_We think we're invincible_

_Completely unbreakable_

_And maybe we are_

_But isn't it beautiful_

_The way we fall apart_

XOX

There are things in life that are inevitable.

Death and taxes, to be sure.

Jeffrey Tetazoo's swift relief of power was always going to be inevitable in Lillian's mind. Better late than never, really. More than a year and a half of a full-scale manhunt for Gabriel left the government tired and spent, and Tetazoo's obsession had not let up despite the various higher powers attempting to talk him down. They deemed said obsession a 'waste of assets' and claimed his manhunt came off as more of a desperate witch hunt than anything.

Mei Chen's abrupt capture sealed the Director's fate. In their custody, locked away in a Faraday cage created by Dr. Cassidy, she remained harmless. Rather, she was useless. And so she caved, confessing all of her great sins.

Including the sin that would set Gabriel free.

Tetazoo had gone after her like a shark, demanding to know Gabriel's whereabouts. But the lonely girl withered in her cage, refusing to speak.

And Tetazoo was quickly dismissed.

XOX

It was inevitable Lillian Strand would retain her prior position, despite the decommissioning of Clockwork. They had no man, no chip.

DNI Adam Weatherly had done himself a great disservice in not backing Lillian Strand. Only two living, breathing people held the key to keeping Clockwork alive, and neither was about to tell without an ultimatum of epic proportions.

They were the only two who knew the Athens List still existed.

The only two that knew where it was.

After all, the man that held the list didn't know he had it in the first place, and the only way to retrieve it was with his very alive cooperation.

Something Lillian knew they'd never get.

Not that anyone else knew that.

XOX

It was inevitable Troy joined Cyber Command. The job waited idly for him, anticipating his eighteenth birthday. But it didn't hold the same intrigue as it once did. The very reason he'd longed to work for the program was still in hiding, off the grid and far away.

He told them once he'd cover their digital footprints, but in the almost two years since he'd last seen them, there hadn't been so much as a blip on his radar. They were either that good, or that dead, and neither thought sat well with him.

When Lillian approached him, he expected the worst. The news she gave him was no less surprising. She always seemed strange and all knowing to him; when she asked him to contact Gabriel and Riley, he knew he shouldn't have looked so shocked.

"Please, who else would they have gone to?" she'd said flippantly, as if everyone knew and he was the last to find out. Troy merely nodded, working on the message he intended to send to Gabriel's chip.

It was an odd sort of hope that settled over Cyber Command when he cracked his knuckles and hit send.

XOX

"Aw, pizza _again_?" Gabriel lamented when he walked into the small house.

Riley rolled her eyes. "It's all I know how to…not burn," she said with a dismissive wave.

"Really thinking about paying for those cooking classes," he mumbled, toeing his shoes off by the door.

"Like they would actually help," Riley answered, a little put out by her own failure. She had near perfect aim, could sense danger a mile away, and had the ability to bring a man to his knees with her fingers (a fact Gabriel enjoyed pointing out, for completely different reasons) but cooking somehow eluded her.

"Lucky for you we can both survive on frozen pizza," he laughed at the pout on her face. He approached her, a bright smile touching his lips as his arms encircled her waist from behind. "It's okay that you can't cook, I love you anyway."

"Thanks for taking the pressure off," she shot back sarcastically, scraping at the blackened pan.

Gabriel wrinkled his nose. "Maybe we should just order in."

Riley smirked, holding up the house phone. "Already called for Chinese."

"That's my girl," he replied. "How are things at the studio?"

"They're good. Can't say I ever thought I'd actually enjoy teaching kids Karate," she answered, a little proudly. They were so far removed from where they'd been two years ago, Gabriel often found himself confused trying to recall their past.

Jonathon and Susanna Kent they remained, for better or worse, despite what they were behind closed, and locked, doors.

Riley had taken things in stride a bit better than he had in the beginning. Once they'd settled in Norris' cabin, they'd hashed out jobs they could find, skills that were of use to the general population. There weren't a lot of jobs calling for qualifications of their standing.

She'd circled the ad for a martial arts instructor immediately, and returned with the job the next day. It took Gabriel longer to adjust, a military man at heart, and then an agent by choice, he finally settled on being a prison guard for the small city they lived outside of. At first they'd kept up appearances, until eventually they became friends with coworkers, neighbors down the distant road, and it wasn't so much about their covers as it was real.

The day Gabriel brought home a giant German Shepard puppy, Riley knew they were in this for the long haul, in more ways than one.

The breaking news story they'd been was gone from people's minds and television screens, replaced by more urgent world events.

They knew it would never be gone from the government's though.

A man with billions of dollars of tech in his head wasn't something you simply forgot about or let go of. Every knock on the door shot fear into both of them at the beginning, believing that day could be their last. Until eventually they realized no one was coming.

They'd spent two years in a small cabin in peace.

The doorbell sounded, interrupting the quiet. "That's Todd, grab Cassidy so he doesn't jump all over him," Riley said, moving to open the door.

"Hey Mrs. Kent, how's it going?" the delivery boy asked pleasantly, waiting as she pulled cash out of her wallet.

"It's good. How're your classes?"

"I'm getting by, you know. Thinking about changing my major again."

"You're only a freshman, you have plenty of time," Riley replied, handing him the cash while she took the paper bag of white cartons.

"Thanks, take it easy Mrs. K, seeya next time," Todd called, jogging back to his car.

"He likes you, you know," Gabriel observed. Riley rolled her eyes again.

"He likes that I tip him well. Why do you think we get our food so fast?" she threw back, grinning smugly. Gabriel nodded his agreement. "By the way, what do you think the Cassidy's would think about us having named our dog after them?"

Gabriel laughed, taking the bag from her arms and setting the cartons out on the table in front of the couch. "They'd probably be flattered," he said, thinking of Nelson's possible reactions and rubbing the top of the dog's head as his tongue lolled to the side. He glanced at her curiously. "That came out of nowhere, what brought that up?"

She shrugged. "Homesick, I guess. It hit kind of fast and hard, the other day. More so lately."

He frowned, pulling her towards him on the couch. "I've got you, that's all that matters to me," he said quietly.

She nodded. "I know."

"It's more than that, isn't it?" Gabriel questioned lightly.

"I miss being free, Gabriel. I miss calling you by your real name when we're outside these four walls and doing my job and looking like me and I hate the fact that we're not even really…" She stopped, holding her breath to keep from finishing the sentence.

"We're not what?" he asked softly.

She felt her cheeks warm. "Married," she whispered.

His eyes grew wide for a moment, before a small grin touched his lips. "That's what you're worried about, that just because it's not our names on the marriage license that we're not really married?"

She gave him a beseeching look. "Don't patronize me, Gabriel, please."

Gabriel looked at her imploringly. "Hey, Riley, look at me," he grasped her left hand, the one that still held his mother's ring. "It's just a piece of paper. Look at what we've been through together. We're more married than anyone I've ever met."

She gave him a wary grin. "I know that, I just…it's not the same," Riley said, a sadness touching her voice he'd never heard before. "It's more important to me now than I thought it would be."

"I know, Riley," he soothed, pulling her into him. "I promise, someday."

XOX

It was two in the morning when he felt a throbbing in his head so blinding he gasped, gripping his forehead. His cry woke Riley, sitting straight up beside him. "Gabriel, Gabriel what's wrong?" she demanded, going into protector mode.

His mind hadn't been infiltrated by Mei Chen in over six months, and he'd long since learned how to block her intrusions out as it was. Unless someone was trying to remotely hack him, she couldn't think of any reason he'd react this way.

"My head," he groaned. "The chip."

Aside from his renders, he hadn't used the chip for anything outside of a dire emergency in the two years they'd been hiding. Its lack of use must be catching up with him.

"Are you okay? What's happening?" she tried again. He shook his head, caving into whatever was pulsing inside and letting the chip take over.

"What the…what the hell?" he said, confused by the image playing before him.

Riley shook his shoulder a little roughly. "Seriously, Gabriel, what is happening?"

"It looks like…it's a cartoon jumping up and down," he mumbled.

"I'm sorry, what? She asked, eyebrows raised as she turned the lamp light on the bedside table.

He squinted, lost in whatever was playing before him. The image of what looked like a cartoon from a video game jumped up and down, waving what he thought was an animated white flag. His chip clicked the image and an email opened, words streaming in front of him. "Oh my God," he breathed.

Gabriel turned to Riley. "It's from Troy. Lillian sent us a message."

Riley froze. "What did it say?"

"I think…I think we can go home."

XOX

They didn't sleep the rest of the night, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Riley paced madly, gun in hand with Cassidy traipsing clumsy circles around her. She was under the assumption Cyber Command had triggered the chip intentionally, meaning to track them down. "We have to leave, Gabriel!"

"Riley, we don't know anything yet. It was _Troy_ that sent the message; he said he'd find a way to get in contact with us if anything happened, if anything changed," Gabriel tried to ease her mind, getting dizzy watching her violent movements from his position on the couch.

She shook her head viciously. "We can't trust this. It's exactly what they want."

"Or it could be what it looked like; a white flag. We could go home," he said plaintively.

Riley stopped in front of him, arms crossed, breathing ragged. "Exactly what would we go home _to_ Gabriel? A jail cell? Something worse? We can't afford to do this!"

"We could go _home_," he tried again, standing and pulling her towards him. "We could see the Doc and Nelson, Lillian, Troy, Jameson. We could see my mom, you could call your brother…"

His gentle, pleading voice wore her down. She wanted to believe it was the real deal as much as he did, but she was cautionary and not at all optimistic. That was her job. Her former one, anyway.

Riley bit her lip. "I don't want to get my hopes up," she whispered.

He pulled back a bit, meeting her gaze. "I think I have an idea."

XOX

"They probably think we're screwing with them. Forget Gabriel, this is Riley we're talking about. She wasn't assigned to him because she's pretty," Nelson chattered nervously. His father shot him a dark look across the room.

"Nelson, stop. It's only been three days," Lillian said tensely. The truth was she was just as anxious as Nelson, and everyone else for that matter.

"Lillian, there's a number coming through off a burner phone," Jameson called out.

"Put it through to my office," she commanded, leaving to pick up the call, quickening her pace. "Hello?"

"Lillian," Gabriel's curt voice came over the line. She realized there was a lump in her throat that hadn't been there until she heard him.

"Gabriel," she breathed. "How are the two of you?"

"We're fine. We wanted to know if it's true, nothing happens to us if we come in?" he ground out the question, putting an edge to his words. The promise of a threat hidden between the lines.

"I'm back in charge. They removed Jeffrey after we captured Mei Chen. They thought his obsession with you was getting a bit…out of hand," Lillian paused, fighting the smile. "Mei Chen confessed, Gabriel. They didn't have a leg to stand on after that. But look, I'm not asking you to come back, or commanding you. I'm offering you your place here at Cyber Command. But this time, it's your decision, no strings. That's the same deal I took to the Adam, and that he took to the President. It's been two years, and I know what can happen in that time. The offer stands."

The heavy silence on the other end was deafening, and she could tell the partners were having a silent conversation of their own.

"If we do this, if we come back, we need reassurances," Gabriel said carefully.

Lillian sighed, relieved and a bit elated. "Anything."

XOX

"Are we really doing this? Going home?" Riley asked, still apprehensive.

Gabriel smiled, holding her hands. "She agreed to everything. And it looks like a lot has changed since we've been gone. Tetazoo was 'removed from power' once they caught Mei Chen. Oh, and Troy works there now."

Riley's eyes went wide. "Mei Chen is in prison?"

Gabriel nodded. "The last six months apparently. No wonder I've slept so peacefully," he mumbled. "She confessed, to everything. Cassidy built a Faraday cage, she's…as human as ever."

"Must suck for her," Riley said, feeling just a little bit lighter knowing the bitch was stuck in a cage for life.

"Do you want to do this, Riley? We could be _us_ again, see our friends and our families. Or we can stay here, just you and me," he offered, leaving the decision to her. "As long as I'm with you, I don't care where we are."

She smiled softly, squeezing his hands. "I want to go home."

He dropped her hands, cupping her face and kissing her soundly, pushing a few stray tears off her cheeks. "Let's go home."

Cassidy barked in his own agreement.

XOX

"When are they getting here?" Dr. Cassidy asked, puttering around his office manically.

"Dad, chill," Nelson said loudly. "You're driving me crazy."

"You're _both_ driving me crazy," Troy added from his position at the computers.

Gabriel was actively using the chip now, making their movements traceable. It took a month for them to ease out of their jobs and pack their things and say goodbye to a life they'd led for two years.

"They're on their way," Lillian said, wearing a hole in the floor as well.

"Two years…wonder what they've been up too?" Nelson asked aloud, speaking to no one in particular and not really looking for an answer.

Lillian could barely repress the hint of a smile.

XOX

"Are you ready for this?" Gabriel asked from the driver seat.

She eyed the building hesitantly. If anything, she wished they'd had time to ease back into themselves. The sudden change was as jarring as it had been the first time they'd left, fleeing for their lives. She wished she'd at least had time to wash all her makeup off, no longer needing to play the part of Susanna Kent, with her now long black hair. She wanted to be herself again, as soon as possible.

"I think so," she answered instead, opening the passenger side door.

"I'll grab Cassidy," he added. They'd decided that bringing their oversized puppy would be as good an icebreaker as any after two years.

Riley sighed. "It all feels strange, being back here."

"Tell me about it," Gabriel acknowledged the wariness in her voice, entwining his fingers with hers and giving her a small tug. They'd been waved through security on Lillian's orders, so they were off to a good start she supposed. No alarms sounded, no police ran towards them, guns raised.

Riley swallowed nervously, hand skimming over the gun on her hip. "Let's go."

XOX

They walked the still familiar path to CDOC like they'd never left.

"Like nothing's changed," Gabriel commented when they reached the platform.

"I wouldn't say that," Troy's voice echoed close by. Gabriel and Riley turned, smiles lighting their faces. "Man, I thought the worst for you guys when nothing showed up after all those years! So, what do you think about my new digs?" he asked, gesturing to his workspace.

Riley moved first, pulling the boy that helped them so long ago into her arms.

"I really love this part," Troy added. "Never gets old."

"Careful kid, that's my wife you're hugging," Gabriel laughed, high fiving the infamous hacker.

"Wife?" Dr. Cassidy's question floated over them. A stunned expression covered the Doc's face, as well as Nelson's and Jameson's, the former with a half a sandwich hanging from his gaping mouth.

"It was for their cover, I helped them create it," Troy corrected the curious stares, pulling away from Riley.

Riley and Gabriel shared a look.

"Actually, congratulations _are_ in order," Lillian said beyond them, a calm smile on her face. "Your paperwork was taken care of this morning."

Nelson and the Doc still seemed to be processing the news. "Uhm, congratulations you two," Jameson said, recovering faster. He gave Riley a hug as well, slapping Gabriel on the back good-naturedly.

"I can't believe this!" Dr. Cassidy practically shouted. "I mean, I guess I can, it's not like we didn't see this coming, but you could have told us!"

Gabriel knit his brow as Riley shook her head, amused by his outburst.

"Yes, dad, they should have sent word of their secret wedding to us while they were hiding from the very government we work for," Nelson said rigidly, voice dripping with sarcasm. "But seriously, guys, awesome news!"

"Thanks man, we wanted it to be official. It was okay being the Kent's, but it wasn't…us. It was important that be the first thing we did when we were free," Gabriel stated happily, arm wrapped around Riley's waist.

"And who's this?" Troy inquired, petting the excited German Shepard on the head. "Our new mascot?"

"That title still belongs to Gabriel. This is Cassidy," Riley replied. Both doctors looked up.

Nelson spoke, awe in his tone. "You named your dog after us?"

Riley nodded. "It just kind of…fit."

Nelson and Dr. Cassidy both moved at once, squeezing both Gabriel and Riley in turn. "Okay guys, we missed you too," Gabriel tried to break their grip.

"So are you guys back? As in Clockwork is back on?" Jameson asked, genuinely curious. Clearly Lillian was leaving everything up to them as she'd promised. Just because they were back didn't mean they were back on the job.

"The chip's been dormant too long. It's time to put it back to good use," Gabriel addressed them all.

"And what about you Riley?" asked Nelson, noting she'd been particularly silent.

"I actually won't be back…not for a while anyway, and probably in a different capacity," she responded carefully, meeting Lillian's gaze.

"What? Why?" Nelson pressed on, as oblivious as Troy and Jameson seemed to be. His father elbowed him in the ribs as the realization dawned on him. "Ouch, really dad?"

He froze when he caught the distant, watery stare in his father's eyes.

Nelson whipped back around when he put two and two together, Troy and Jameson echoing his sentiment moments later. "No way! _No way!_"

The prodigal couple laughed as congratulations of a different sort were called out, stories were shared, and adventures from the past two years were recounted in grand detail.

Lillian stood back, looking on the scene with pride.

This was her team. Her people.

They were back.

Some things in life were inevitable, after all.


End file.
